Overview of the Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027

Insight

This Forum Insight provides an overview of the Digital Education Action Plan 2021-27: Resetting education and training for the digital age (DEAP), published by the European Commission on 30 September 2020. The DEAP acknowledges the key enabling factors for effective digital education and presents a vision for enhancing digital teaching and learning and for improving digital literacy and skills at all levels of education. This Insight summarises the key points of the action plan and references related work in the Irish higher education sector.

Implementing the Irish National Digital Experience (INDEx) Survey: A Challenging and Rewarding Journey

Briefing Paper

This briefing paper describes the process of collaboration and partnership behind the Irish National Digital Experience (INDEx) Survey, which was completed by 24,484 students and 4,445 staff who teach at 32 higher education institutions in Ireland in autumn 2019. The paper shares the story behind the results that were published in May 2020 in the INDEx Survey Findings report. For more information see www.teachingandlearning.ie/index

How to Choose an Open Licence

Guide

How to Choose an Open Licence is the second guide in the National Forum OER/OEP Series: Open Educational Resources and Open Educational Practices. The first guide in the series was the National Forum Open Licensing Toolkit, published in 2019. The aim of these guides, and future guides in the series, is to provide practical information for anyone wishing to use open educational resources (OER) and/or open educational practices (OEP) in order to enhance teaching and learning.

This resource is licensed with a Creative Commons CC BY licence, meaning you are welcome to reuse and remix, as long as attribution is provided to the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. If you would like an editable version of this resource, please email open@teachingandlearning.ie.

Selecting Online Alternatives to Common Assessment Methods

Insight

While some assessment components do not need significant adjustment in the move to online (including at-distance) learning, others require some additional thought and may need to be replaced/significantly adjusted. In support of the move to online/remote assessment in March 2020, this resource provides some indication of the kind of modifications that could be made for these common assessments. It is not an exhaustive list, but we hope it may be helpful in considering some of the available options.

10 Points to Consider in Choosing Alternative Assessment Methods for the Online Environment

Insight

Students can learn through many different but equitable assessment methods. An alternative online assessment is not a lesser form of assessment, but a different assessment to achieve the same aim. Some of the ideas in this Insight are worth considering in the design of alternative assessment methods for the online environment to ensure the quality and equity of the assessment. Developed to support the Irish higher education community in the initial weeks of the move to online/remote teaching and learning in March 2020.

10 Ways to Ensure Online Assessment is Accessible and Inclusive

Insight

Many of those who teach in Irish higher education were faced with the challenge of creating online assessments for the first time in March 2020. These tips, developed in partnership with AHEAD, outline some of the ways you can ensure, as far as possible, that the online assessments you plan are accessible to and inclusive of all your students. Developed to support the Irish higher education community in the initial weeks of the move to online/remote teaching and learning in March 2020.

The National Forum Open Licensing Toolkit

Guide, Tool

The National Forum Open Licensing Toolkit outlines the National Forum’s commitment to open licensing, which enables the creation and sharing of open educational resources. The toolkit provides a detailed description of Creative Commons (CC) licenses, the global standard for open licensing, as well as a 4-step guide to choosing, creating and adding CC licences to resources in order to make them OER, i.e. able to be shared, reused and adapted in different institutional, disciplinary and programme contexts.

This resource is licensed with a Creative Commons CC BY licence, meaning you are welcome to reuse and remix, as long as attribution is provided to the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. If you would like an editable version of this resource, please email open@teachingandlearning.ie.

Building Digital Capacity in Irish Higher Education 2013-18

Insight

This Forum Insight provides a short summary of the report, Building Digital Capacity in Irish Higher Education 2013-18. Key developments in building digital capacity undertaken and coordinated by the National Forum are summarised in 5 areas: consulting across the sector and outlining a vision; understanding the digital landscape; structures and guidance frameworks; Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund projects; and perspectives of those who teach, learn and lead.

Developing Learning Analytics Policies to Support Student Success

Insight

This National Forum Insight provides useful guidance for the development of Learning Analytics policies that underpin student success strategies. Based on the format of the National Forum’s Guide to Developing Enabling Policies for Digital Teaching and Learning, it outlines a number of key considerations institutions may wish to reflect in their analytics policies. It also includes links to Irish and international exemplar policies